Condensation on my Window

What is this painting of you may ask? Simply put; it is my view out my window on a crisp winter morning where the condensation builds up and drips down the single paned glass. It diffuses and distorts the view and adds a bit of magic as the light from the morning sun, shines through. The discussion behind this painting is nz healthy home standards, landlords, and sustainability to name a few.

Condensation On My Window

70x70cm

Encaustic/Coldwax on wood

When I first came to NZ, 20 odd years ago, I lived in a tiny bach perched up on a hill in Plimmerton. The winds were strong and howled through the draughty floorboards. We had one electric fan heater and I would burn the skin off my legs standing too close to it. The minute it was turned off, the house was freezing again, so we wore toques, 3 layers of clothing warm socks etc in the house and even to bed(good form of birth control). Originally from Canada, with a natural gas furnace and the homes were built to sustain the cold, I was forced to toughen up. I viewed the kiwi way as resilient, innovative, and tough as nails. I was impressed. No cushy dryers for me…we hung our clothes to dry and my family were so shocked at my new simple living lifestyle. Things have changed over the last 5 years though, with labour government, cracking down on landlords and home owners to fix up their draughty homes, insulate, add moisture barriers under homes, re-route drainage, add extraction fans and heatpumps. Yes this is all good stuff, and the older homes do fall short but they are also the ones that are going to still be standing in another 100 years. This painting was made from beeswax, oil, dry pigments and pan pastel and painted into an old window type frame. It wasn’t easy to emulate a window with condensation but do scroll through the photos and let me know how you think I did. FYI-The last photo was the one taken out my window.